Israel army returns fire into Syria as troops shot on occupied Golan Heights

Source : SyriaBreaking News Network

Israeli troops were shot at on the occupied Golan Heights, and the army fired into Syria on Monday, the military said. “Gunfire was opened from Syria towards Israel Defense Forces soldiers in the central Golan Heights,”Reuters reported, citing a military statement. “The force retaliated towards the threat and a hit was confirmed.”An Israeli source said that the brief exchange of fire happened near the Quneitra border crossing.The Israeli troops said they were fired on by a Syrian soldier. Hours earlier a Syrian mortar shell landed in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the Israeli-held Golan, near Israel's security fence.No Israeli casualties were reported in the two incidents.

Israeli jets bomb northern Gaza

Source : Al Akhbar English

The Israeli air force attacked sites in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, just hours after Palestinian fighters there fired a pair of rockets into Occupied Palestine, witnesses and the army said.

It was the first air strike on Gaza in more than two months and took place as the Israeli government pushed forward with plans to release 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of the so-called peace negotiations with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

Palestinian witnesses said the attack targeted a military site used by fighters from the Hamas movement west of Beit Lahiya, but no-one was hurt.

The Israeli army confirmed the air force had struck Gaza.

"In response to rocket fire at Israel, the IDF (military) targeted 2 rocket launchers in Gaza. Direct hits confirmed," the army said on its official Twitter feed.

An earlier army statement said two rockets were fired towards the port city of Ashkelon, one of which was shot down by Israel's so-called Iron Dome Missile Defense System. No damage or injuries were reported.

It was the first air strike since August 14 when the air force bombed the same area also after Palestinians fired rockets from Gaza, in a development which took place just hours after Israel released a first batch of Palestinian prisoners.

The skies above Gaza have been calm for months, although suspected militants fired a mortar shell on Sunday.

During September, there were two instances of rocket fire, but Israel did not respond.

Late on Sunday, Israel approved the release of 26 veteran prisoners who will be freed on Tuesday.

It will be the second such release of Palestinian prisoners under terms of the US-backed direct peace talks which began in late July after a hiatus of nearly three years.

All but one of them were arrested before the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, with 21 from the West Bank and the rest from Gaza.

(Reuters)

Israel's Iron Dome shoots down rocket fired from Gaza

Source : http://breakingnews.sy/en

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at a southern Israeli port city on Monday, a military spokeswoman said. Iron Dome interceptor shot down one while the other fell into the sea, Reuters reported. The pre- dawn salvo came on Ashkelon, about 12km north of Gaza. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the launches.

Iran seeks to import S300

Source : Trend.Az

Iran and Russia are negotiating to boost their ties in the fields of Anti-aircraft warfare and radar systems, the Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili said on Sunday.

"Iran seeks to import S300 or some similar missile systems which are completely defensive," he said.

He made the remarks after his meeting with the Russia's Air Force Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev.

The Russian Commander is in Tehran for talks with senior Iranian military officials.

Bondarev has also met with Iran's air force commander, Brigadier General Hassan Shah-Safi.

His four-day visit is aimed at expanding cooperation in the field of military and missile systems.

Russian Commander Admires Iran's Ability to Optimize S- 200 Defense System

Source : Farsnews

TEHRAN (FNA)- Russian Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev praised Iran for its ability to optimize the Russian-made S-200 long-range air defense missile system to cover mid- altitude flying targets, Commander of Iran’s Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli said.

"We briefed the Russian Air Force commander on the changes we have made in the (S-200) system and he admired these capabilities," Esmayeeli told reporters after a meeting with Bondarev in Tehran on Sunday.

"We told him that the system was a long-range system completely made by Russia, but we could add up to its capabilities to cover mid-altitude threats by changing the structure and protocol of the S-200 system and using Sayyad-2 missiles and we also told him that this (new) capability has proved successful on the scene of practical tests,", Esmayeeli added.

Iran announced in August that it has used the latest home-made missile production, Sayyad (Hunter) 2, in its sophisticated S-200 anti-aircraft system.

Speaking to reporters in August, Esmayeeli said that the country had used "Sayyad 2 missiles in its S-200 defense systems", and pointed out that the restructuring of the system was the result of the industrious efforts made by experts at the Iranian defense industries and his base.

In similar remarks in July 2011, Esmayeeli had announced that the country's experts have been able to optimize the Russian-made S-200 anti-aircraft missile system so well that the Iranian version of the system has stunned Russian experts.

In November 2010, Iran successfully test-fired its sophisticated S-200 anti-aircraft missile systems.

Iran's S-200 system is a very long range, medium-to-high altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to defend large areas from bomber attack or other strategic aircrafts. Each battalion has 6 single-rail missile launchers and fire control radar. It can be linked to other, longer-range radar systems.

Each missile is launched by 4 solid-fueled strap-on rocket boosters. Maximum range is between 200 and 350 km depending on the model. The missile uses radio illumination mid-course correction to fly towards the target with a terminal semi active radar homing phase.

UN Prolongs Peacekeeper Mandate in Golan Heights

Source : RIA Novosti

UNITED NATIONS, June 27 (RIA Novosti) – The United Nations Security Council on Thursday prolonged the presence of a UN peacekeeping force in the disputed Golan Heights region between Syria and Israel for another six months, the UN reported on its website.

The Security Council also requested Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to ensure that the force, which has recently faced numerous threats, has the required capacity and resources to implement its mandate.

The UN body unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) until December 31, 2013. UNDOF monitors the 1974 Syria-Israel disengagement accord after the two countries’ war the previous year.

The UN-monitored buffer zone in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights was set up to separate Israeli and Syrian forces after the Arab-Israeli war of 1973. Although it is de- jure on Syrian territory, it has been occupied and annexed by Israel since the war. Ownership of the strategically important Golan Heights remains one of the main points of contention between the two nations.

The resolution “underscores” that there should be no military activity of any kind in the area of separation, including both military operations by the Syrian armed forces and military activity of the armed opposition groups.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, told journalists that it was particularly important that the clause on the armed opposition’s activity had been included in the text.

UNDOF’s force strength will be boosted to some 1,250 troops, an increase of about 300.

More than 90,000 people have died since fighting broke out between Syrian government forces and rebel groups in March 2011, according to the latest UN figures.

Russia, along with China, has faced widespread condemnation over its refusal to approve UN sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it has no interest in seeing Assad remain at the helm, but is concerned that a power vacuum would lead to more violence.

Russia not withdrawing its base from Syria's Tartus

Source : English pravda.ru

Russian Defense Ministry rebutted reports on the withdrawal of Russian personnel from the sustainment center of the Russian Navy in the Syrian port of Tartus, the press service of the ministry said Thursday.

Defense Ministry officials said that Tartus was still an official base for Russian vessels in the Mediterranean and continued to perform its tasks. The Defense Ministry stated that the affirmation in the reports about the withdrawal of personnel of the sustainment center was extremely incorrect from the point of view of the actual situation.

It was said that there was no one single Russian military employed at the sustainment center in Tartus. The center is serviced by civil personnel only.

Russia pulls out all military staff from Syria: report

Source : Al Akhbar English

Russia has withdrawn all its military personnel from Syria and left its strategic Tartus naval center unstaffed because of the escalating security threat in the war-torn country, the Vedomosti daily said Wednesday.

The respected business daily cited an unnamed source in the Russian defense ministry as saying that no Russian defense ministry military or civilian personnel were now present in Syria, a Soviet-era ally of Moscow.

The source said the decision was taken to limit the dangers posed to Russians amid a raging civil war and to reduce the threat of political damage that could result from Russians being killed by either side.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov had appeared to confirm the evacuation of military staff in an interview with the London-published Arabic-language daily al-Hayat published on Friday.

"Today, the Russian defense ministry does not have a single person in Syria," he said.

"In Tartus, we never had a base in the first place. It is a technical facility for maintaining ships sailing in the Mediterranean," he added.

The facility in the Mediterranean port of Tartus is Russia's only such asset outside the former Soviet Union.

Created as the result of an agreement between Damascus and Moscow in 1971, the Tartus facility was believed in recent months to have been staffed by just a few dozen Russian defense ministry personnel.

The Vedomosti report said the decision to remove defense ministry personnel did not cover technical experts who are hired by the Syrian government to help train its army to use Russian-issued weapons.

Russia supplies ground-to-surface interceptor missiles to Syria, as well as warplanes and helicopters and other heavy machinery meant for national self-defense.

Moscow defends its military sales to Syria by arguing that it is only fulfilling contracts signed before the current conflict broke out in March 2011.

Syria represents Russia's last strategic ally in the Middle East and the fall of Assad would deal a significant blow to Moscow's geopolitical aspirations.

Iran to deploy 4000 troops in Syria to support Assad forces

Source : Khaama Press (KP)

According to reports Iran has decided to deploy around 4,000 troops to Syria in a bid to support government troops in war against the rebels.

The Independent on Sunday reported that 4,000 Revolutionary Guard troops will be send to fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.

The decision was reportedly taken last week prior to presidential election in Iran.

Pro-Iranian sources quoted by The Independent said Iran has proposed to open up a front against Israel on the Golan Heights as part of efforts to preserve Assad’s regime in Syria.

This comes as United States on Thursday announced it will begin to arm the Syrian opposition in the face of evidence that Assad used chemical weapons against rebels on multiple occasions.

Iran is considered to be one of the main support of President Bashar Assad’s government, and Tehran in the past admitted that Revolutionary Guard forces were active in Syria, helping the regime in its fight against rebels.

In the meantime the opposition Syrian National Coalition upon the victory of Hassan Rowhani in presidential election urged him to drop Tehran’s support for Assad.

The opposition in a statement carried by AFP said, “For more than two years of the Syrian revolution, the Iranian authorities have stood against the aspirations of the Syrian people by continuing to support the criminal Assad regime politically, militarily and economically.”

The statement released by Syrian opposition coalition also called on Rowhani to “reform Iran’s position… before it is too late.”

Lebanon army warns will hit back against any Syria raids

Source : Maan News Agency

BEIRUT (AFP) -- Lebanon's army said it will immediately respond to any further cross- border attacks by the Syrian military after a helicopter gunship attacked the eastern town of Arsal on Wednesday.

"Army units deployed in the (Arsal) area took the necessary defensive measures to respond immediately to any similar violations," a Lebanese army statement said, in a rare warning against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Earlier Wednesday, a helicopter raided Arsal, the majority of whose residents support the anti-Assad revolt in neighboring Syria, for the first time in the nearly 27-month conflict.

At 1:30 p.m., "a Syrian helicopter gunship crossed the border... and launched two rockets from a distance at the (Arsal) town center, injuring one person and causing material damage", the army said.

Damascus dominated Lebanon politically and military for 30 years until 2005, and continues to exert significant influence through its allies in the Mediterranean country.

Lebanon's poorly equipped army coordinates closely with the Syrian military.

Arsal is sensitive because it is located just 12 kilometers from the border with Syria.

Experts say it has been used as a conduit for weapons and rebel fighters to enter into Syria, while it has also served as a refuge for people fleeing the conflict into Lebanon.

Dozens of people wounded in fighting in Qusayr -- most of them rebel fighters -- flocked to Arsal for treatment last week as the Syrian army and Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah overran the former insurgent bastion.

Pro-Syrian, opposition fighting near Iran embassy in Beirut

Source : http://old.mehrnews.com/en

TEHRAN, Jun. 9 (MNA) – Sources say fight between pro-Syrian and opposition groups has broken out near Iran’s embassy in Beirut.

News sources reported that the clashes happened in Ber al- Hassan near Iranian embassy in Beirut between supporters of a Hezbollah presence in Syria and opposition groups. Several individuals have been reportedly injured.

An informed source confirmed the story, but did not provided further details.

Lebanon 24 News website reported that injured people belonged to Al-Inthima al- Lobnaniya a March 14 movement affiliated group, and Syrian opposition and Hezbollah supporters.

Meanwhile SkyNews reported that one was injured during shootings in the clash. Lebanese LBC reported also that one had been injured

Syrian Army liberates Quneitra Crossing – Golan Heights

Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com

Troops of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) have finally established the control over a key crossing in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights yesterday. The units of the Syrian army managed to establish the control over this key crossing in the Golan Heights shortly after it fell into the hands of a group of foreign-backed and Israel- supported terrorists. The units of the Syrian army were able to liberate the so-called Quneitra Crossing in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights just some time after this area was occupied by the Israel-backed terrorists and religious fanatics, who also receive a lot of support by the two totalitarian dictatorships in the Gulf – Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Not to mention the Erdogan regime in Turkey while it seems that Turkey is experiencing its own “Arab Spring” / “Turkish Spring” now. Heavy battles took place between the troops of the Syrian forces and the armed gunmen and jihadists in this area of the occupied Golan Heights but the units of the Syrian army were finally able to liberate the Quneitra Crossing and to remove some of these foreign-backed terrorists from the Syrian soil there. It was previously reported by some Israeli media that foreign-backed gunmen had seized the Quneitra Crossing in the (Israeli-occupied) Golan Heights, although the Israeli media forgot to mention that these armed thugs are also backed by their Israeli regime. Meanwhile, the Austrian government has announced that it is going to withdraw its so-called peacekeepers from the UN monitoring mission and force on the occupied Golan Heights in wake of the continued battles in this area – due to the reason that Israel supports parts of these armed gunmen and militants who are fighting against the secular state of Syria, there is no surprise that the battles are ongoing in the occupied Golan Heights. The withdraw of the Austrian peacekeepers from the Golan Heights means that about 380 persons of the 1,000-strong Observer Force of the United Nations (UNDOF) will leave this area and this means a serious blow for the UN mission, with has always been worthless due to the reason that the Israeli regime still occupies the Syrian soil and the United Nations (UN) never cared about justice. The Israeli regime captured the Syrian Golan Heights during the Six-Day War of 1967, at the same time when they also took the control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel then annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, although the move was never recognized by the international community and was a violation of international law but as mentioned above, the United Nations (UN) never really cared and just made some usual propaganda statements to save and maintain their image for the brainwashed masses. The Israeli regime has already used various means to help the foreign-sponsored militants in Syria, including the provision of medical assistance and transports – as again reported yesterday

Syrian Jets Chase, Bomb Fleeing Militiamen near Lebanon

Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com

Syrian helicopters bombed on Wednesday the open area on the border between Lebanon and Syria near the eastern Lebanese town of Ersal, Lebanese security sources told Al-Manar TV.

The Syrian army warplanes targeted opposition gunmen who have fled from Syrian territories of al-Qusayr border city towards Lebanon, the sources said.

Syrian Arab Army launched at Wednesday dawn a surprise operation in which it totally controlled the border strategic city of al-Qusayr, and called upon its displaced residents to return to their safe homes within days.

In a related context, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman “strongly condemned the Syrian shelling against Ersal,” and called for “respect for Lebanese sovereignty and not to endanger the region and its population.”

Sleiman didn’t touch on the Zionist violations of the international resolution 1701, or the provocations committed by Zionist army on the border with Lebanon on daily basis.

The Syrian Army launched on May 19 a large-scale operation in al-Qusayr border town with Lebanon to clear the area of terrorist gangs and liberate the citizens stuck there.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict, by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.

Syrian rebels take over Golan Heights crossing

Source : Al Akhbar English

Syrian rebels fighting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have taken over the Quneitra crossing on the Israel-Syria ceasefire line in the Golan Heights, army radio reported on Thursday, quoting military officials.

The United Nations also confirmed that there were "incidents" along the ceasefire line.

"The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) confirms that Quneitra crossing has fallen to the rebels," the radio said.

Contacted by AFP, a military spokesman refused to comment on the report, which refers to a crossing point in the central part of the strategic plateau.

The Israeli radio station said fierce fighting was still under way in the actual town of the same name, which lies close to the crossing.

Israeli security sources confirmed there were exchanges of fire in the area of the crossing, but said it was not yet possible to say whether it had been taken over.

An Israeli military source told the BBC that Syrian army tanks were deployed to retake Quneitra.

"They are exchanges of fire there," another source told AFP. "The incident is ongoing so it's very hard to say who is in control there."

He said the military had warned farmers not to approach the area and that an unspecified number of Syrian government troops had been taken to a hospital in occupied Palestine for treatment.

"There are apparently also those who are badly injured among the Syrian (army) forces who have been taken to hospital in Safad," he said.

A spokeswoman for Ziv hospital in Safad was unable to confirm or deny the report, referring all inquiries to the military.

In the past three months, at least 16 people wounded in the civil war which has gripped the country have crossed the border and received medical treatment at the hospital.

Israel seized a large section of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognized by the international community.

Israel and Syria are still technically at a state of war.

Pentagon Official: Russian Warships May Be Carrying Weapons to Syria

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb/

US intelligence agencies have identified three Russian amphibious warships in the eastern Mediterranean that are believed to be carrying weapons shipments that might be used to resupply the Syrian government, CNN quoted a Pentagon official as saying.

CNN reported Thursday that the US has been tracking the ships since they left Russian ports several days ago. US satellites were able to see some indications of containers being loaded onto the ships.

Although it's not confirmed, it's believed the ships may be carrying some components of the controversial Russian S-300 air defense missile system and other weapons for the regime, the report said.

According to the CNN report, the US has been pressing the Russians for weeks to not deliver the S-300 system to Syria. The US believes it would give the Syrian government a much greater ability to target US, Israeli, NATO or other aircraft that may try to strike targets on the ground in the future.

The official told CNN the US did not see any military helicopters being loaded; it is believed the Syrians want to add the helicopters to their inventories.

CNN further revealed that several sensitive military assets are in the region this month as well. In the next two weeks, the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower will also be in the region on a scheduled rotation as it returns to its home port on the East Coast.

Injured Syrian Militiaman Dies on Way to Zionist Hospital

Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com 

A wounded Syrian died on his way to a hospital in northern occupied territories of Palestine after crossing the border to seek medical treatment, the hospital said on Wednesday.

Another Syrian militant who was also taken to the hospital at the same time had been operated on and was in stable condition, hospital spokeswoman Yael Shavit told Agence France Presse.

”A wounded Syrian who was travelling in a military ambulance died before reaching Ziv hospital” in the northern Galilee town of Safed, she said.

Zionist army radio later confirmed that both patients were Syrian insurgents fighting against the national army in the border city of al-Qusayr.

Shavit stated that Ziv hospital had treated 16 Syrians injured in fighting in the Golan Heights over the past three months.

On Monday, Zionist Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon confirmed reports that the army had opened a field hospital in the occupied Golan Heights to treat wounded mercenaries crossing the border.

“It’s a humanitarian move, but Israel has no intention of opening a refugee camp,” he claimed.

The Zionist army seized part of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognized by the international community.

The Syrian Army launched on May 19 a large-scale operation in al-Qusayr border town with Lebanon to clear the area of terrorist gangs and liberate the citizens stuck there.

The military campaign has been crowned on Wednesday by seizing full control over the city and most of its countryside and calling on the displaced residents to go back to their homes.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict, by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.

Syrian MP Says Damascus Free to Strike Israel - Report

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, June 6 (RIA Novosti) - Syria has the right to strike Israel in case of any possible Israeli attacks in the future, Al Arabiya reported on Thursday citing Ahmad Shalash, a member of the Syrian parliament.

“Next time, if Israel dares to breach the Syrian airspace, next time, there are orders to retaliate with fire and missiles without referring back to the leadership,” Shalash was quoted as saying by Al Arabiya.

Israel is widely believed to have carried out several airstrikes on Syria in early May, though it has not officially confirmed that it did so. Reuters reported, citing unnamed Western intelligence sources that the airstrikes targeted a shipment of Iranian- made Fateh-110 guided missiles believed to be on their way to Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, the Israeli attack targeted a research facility near the capital Damascus.

“Let it all out, they want an open war, let it be an open war, we don’t have a problem,” Shalash added.

Shalash’s words come after last week’s statement by President Bashar Assad, who said that Syria “will respond in kind” to any future Israeli airstrike on its territory.

Assad said there was "popular pressure" to open a military front against Israel on the Golan Heights but such a move would requi serious political, social and military deliberation.

Yaalon: No Russian S-300 to Syria before 2014

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

Israeli Defense Minister said that Russia cannot deliver the air defense system S-300 to Syria before the year of 2014. He also acknowledged for the first time that the Zionist entit has field hospittal in the occupied Golan Heights to treat the foriegn-backed militants fighting the Syrian government.

“We are concerned about the matter, and the delivery has not taken place. In case the deal will be carried out, this will not happen before 2014,” Moshe Yaalon told the parliamentary committee on Foreign and Defense Affairs, in comments reported by Zionist arm radio.

The Zionist minister did not give any explanation for his conclusions.

On May 28, Yaalon hinted at a military action against Syria in case th delivery takes place, saying the Zionist entity "knows how to act in such a case.”

Meamwhile, Yaalon asserted that the Zionist army held a field hospita in the Golan Heights to treat the wounded militants fighting the Syria government. He considered that this is a “humanitarian initiative, denying any Zionist intention to establish a refugee camp for civilian escaping the clashes.

Iraq: Israel to Bear Consequences in Case it Used Our Airspace for Iran Strike

Source :

Iraq warned the Zionist entity on Monday against using its airspace to launch a strike against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"We have also warned Israel that if they violate Iraqi airspace, they will have to bear the consequences," Hussein al-Shahristani, deputy prime minister responsible for energy affairs.

He said that Iraq had received assurances from Washington that the United States would not use its airspace to attack Iran.

"The (Americans) have assured us that they will never violate Iraqi airspace or Iraqi sovereignty by using our airspace to attack any of our neighbors," Shahristani said in an interview in his office in Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone.

The minister said that the issue had been discussed in Iraq's national security council, and the warning had been passed to Israel "through countries that they have relations with".

Asked how Iraq would react to any such Israeli attempt to target Iran, Shahristani said: "Obviously, Iraq wouldn't be disclosing its reaction, to allow Israel to take that into account."

Shahristani also note dthat a similar policy applied to the use of Iraq's airspace for any military action in neighboring Syria.

12 rockets fall in town of Wadi Khaled

Source : LBCI News

The state-run National News Agency reported on Friday that 12 rockets crashed at break of dawn in the outskirts of the town of Wadi Khaled on the northern Lebanese border with Syria.

While no injuries were reported, the rockets are said to have been launched from the Syrian side in an attempt to sway the ongoing battle into the Lebanese front.

On Tuesday, 4 rockets also crashed in the town of Hermel, destroying one home and injuring three people.

One of the rockets hit a residential neighborhood in the center of the town while the other crashed near the hills facing the town, the state- run National News Agency reported.

The incident comes one day after Lebanese citizen Loulou Awad (17) was killed when a rocket crashed into her home.

In recent months, the Bekaa Valley has become a target for both the Syrian rebels and the Syrian army.

Officially, Lebanon is abiding by the policy of dissociation in regards to the conflict taking place in Syria.

However, the March 14 alliance has backed the uprising, while Hezbollah and its allies support Syrian president Bashar Assad.

Syria repeatedly said rebels and weapons are being smuggled into Syria from Lebanon, while rebels accuse Hezbollah of intervening in the conflict by sending fighters to combat alongside Syrian troops especially in al-Qusayr.